Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 10 Jul 2019

1. Johnson backs Trump in TV debate with Hunt

Tory leadership candidates Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt debated face-to-face on ITV last night, clashing on topics including Donald Trump’s attack on British ambassador Sir Kim Darroch. Johnson repeatedly refused to say whether he would keep Darroch in the post, following an embarrassing leak of diplomatic memos in which the ambassador criticised the US president. Hunt made a firm pledge backing Darrock.

Today’s newspapers: ‘Bullish Boris ready to walk away’

2. MPs applaud landslide votes for marriage equality and abortion in NI

MPs broke with tradition in the House of Commons yesterday to applaud the result of two votes on changing marriage rights and abortions laws in Northern Ireland. An amendment to allow same-sex marriage in the province passed with a majority of 310, while a proposal to allow abortion was backed by 332 votes to 99. The laws will change automatically within three months unless a power-sharing government is restored at Stormont.

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MPs back abortion and same-sex marriage for Northern Ireland

3. Women and children massacred in Papua New Guinea

At least 15 children and women, two of them pregnant, have been murdered by machete-wielding attackers in the worst outbreak of tribal violence in Papua New Guinea in recent memory. The killings happened early on Monday morning in Karida, a village of around 800 people in the interior of the South Pacific island nation.

4. US wants allies to patrol waters near Iran and Yemen

The US is calling for the creation of an international military coalition to patrol the waters near Iran and Yemen and “ensure freedom of navigation”, following attacks on internationally registered oil tankers last month that have been blamed on Tehran. The US said that it would provide “command and control” ships but that the goal would be for other countries to provide vessels to patrol waters between those command vessels.

5. Nicki Minaj pulls out of Saudi Arabian festival

US rapper Nicki Minaj has pulled out of a festival in Saudi Arabia at which she was to have headlined, following an outcry from human rights groups. Announcing her decision in a statement, the Starships singer said: “After better educating myself on the issues, I believe it is important for me to make clear my support for the rights of women, the LGBTQ community and freedom of expression.”

6. Welsh school uniforms to be cheap and gender-neutral

New statutory guidelines in Wales will mean that schools must make sure their uniforms are gender-neutral and affordable from September. Schools will no longer be allowed to assign items of clothing such as trousers and skirts to a specific gender in their uniform policies. Governing bodies will also be required to consider ways to reduce uniform prices, such as ditching logos and allowing some variation in styles.

7. US stage and screen actor Rip Torn dead at 88

Actor Rip Torn has died at the age of 88. A constant presence on stage and screen since the mid-1950s, the Emmy Award-winning star was best known for his roles in Men in Black and HBO’s The Larry Sanders Show, and for his volatile temper. Torn passed away at his home in Lakeville, Connecticut, with his family by his side, according to his publicist.

8. Egypt calls in Interpol after Tutankhamun statue sold

Egyptian authorities are threatening to sue Christie’s over the sale of a 3,000-year-old Tutankhamun sculpture alleged to have been looted from a Luxor temple – and has called on Interpol to intervene. The 11in statue was sold for £4.7m in London last week despite objections from Egypt, which says it was stolen in the 1970s. Christie’s insists the provenance of the relic can be traced back to a German prince who owned it in the 1960s.

9. Australian seagulls carry antibiotic-resistant superbugs

Australian researchers are warning that tests show seagulls all over the country are carrying so-called superbugs - bacteria resistant to antibiotics. More than 20% of silver gulls nationwide were found to be carrying bacteria such as E. coli, raising fears of infections among humans and other animals. The team behind the research said the findings were “eye-opening” and should be a “wake-up call”.

10. Briefing: the great universal credit swindle

Universal credit is being targeted by fraudsters, with tens of millions of pounds believed to have been stolen.

A loophole in the government’s flagship benefits scheme has enabled fraudulent applications and advance loans to be made, leaving genuine claimants left owing hundreds of pounds, a BBC investigation has found.

The great universal credit swindle